An Open Letter to Paranormal TV Production Companies

Oct 06

Dear Paranormal TV Production Companies,

Please stop making paranormal TV shows. There are just far too many of them clogging my cable channels and they are really damaging the outlook that the public has of paranormal phenomena. I remember in 2008 when there were only a handful of paranormal-related series on the airwaves (e.g. Ghost Hunters, Paranormal State, UFO Hunters) and we’d all look forward to them each week. Now there are literally dozens of series that deal in some way with ghosts, haunted houses, aliens/UFOs, Bigfoot, psychic phenomena, not too mention the shows that showcase all forms of paranormal phenomena.

When I flip between the History Channel, Discovery Channel, Travel Channel, SyFy, Animal Planet, History International, Science Channel, Biography Channel and a host of others, there is bound to be a marathon of ongoing paranormal programming. And the worst part about it is that all the shows are copying each other, airing the exact same material (only with slightly different TV personalities and re-enactment footage).

I am not going to come out and say that I think all of these shows are fake or staged; but I do believe a lot of them to be quite insincere. The worst part is the theatrics that has become a major part of these shows. And I know, I know, people will say, “But the paranormal is supposed to be creepy. The shows should be full of scary editing and sound effects.” The crap shown on the Travel Channel gets a pass for that, since their programming is obviously meant for entertainment purposes. But SyFy, who pretty much jump-started the paranormal TV revolution, should know better. They’ve really come a long way from Season 1 Ghost Hunters and I’m a little disappointed. Also, History Channel are known for award-winning programs, and while I really enjoy their alien/UFO programming, they are really chipping away at my attention span for the same material repeated over and over, via different series.

What I’m trying to get at is that as an average Joe with a fierce interest in the paranormal, I am offended by most of the paranormal-related entertainment on television presently. I mean let’s face it: television production companies are in this business to make money; not to seriously research a misunderstood range of phenomena. And let me be clear that my distaste for paranormal TV is a completely different subject than my interest into sincere research of the unexplained. I will close with this question for all of you to think about: If any of these shows actually found real proof or evidence of the paranormal, wouldn’t it be major news by now?